Your Guide To Green

It's only natural to want to repel those pesky bugs that buzz around your head on a warm, sunny day outdoors; munch your tomatoes; or sneak around the darkest corners of your dwelling.

Unfortunately, most pest control products on the market contain the toxin, Diethyl Toluamide (DEET) and other toxic chemicals. Though highly effective at repelling insects, pediatricians have emphatically recommended against children and infants being exposed to any product with DEET because of its high toxicity, and adults should use it no more than once a day. Most insect repellents contain highly toxic ingredients similar to DEET.

Likewise, when pests bug your plants, spraying them with toxins means either ingesting those chemicals later in your garden salad or kids absorbing them through their skin when they play in the yard. Indoors, crawling toddlers are especially vulnerable to pesticides used along baseboards and thresholds.

So what's a nature lover to do when the bugs come buzzing? Following are some simple solutions that create a natural disaster for critters that bug you most.

Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are pesky nuisances with few options that actually work. One of the first things to do is to make sure that there is no breeding environment provided in the form of standing water in the area. It is important to change birdbaths, pet's water bowls, and wading pools at least twice a week. Peruse hidden areas in the yard for abandoned cups, tins or toys that might accumulate water.

If you are barbequing, throw some sage and rosemary on the coals to repel mosquitoes. Marigolds acts as a natural bug repellent because bugs and insects do not like the scent -- plant them liberally in your landscape.

For topical solutions, it is rumored that oil of eucalyptus at 30% concentration prevents mosquito bites for 2 hours while Bite Blocker with 2% soybean oil prevents bites for 96 minutes. Surprisingly, citronella, often preferred to DEET, wards bugs off for only 20 minutes. Neem-oil, derived from the leaves of the Neem tree, is also a natural repellant; look for repellant products containing this ingredient.

An effective, homemade bug repellent is a mixture of one part garlic juice and 5 parts water; when sprayed, it can be effective for 5-6 hours. Just make sure everyone in your party is using it, too, or it may also be an effective human repellant!

Ants
Ants are attracted to food sources, so simply clearing food and stickiness from countertops will eliminate most of the ants. Spraying ants with cold, soapy water is a deterrent, especially soap that contains citrus oil. Ants have a natural aversion to bitter cucumbers, so try placing a slice at the point of entry. Crushed mint leaves and cloves are also good deterrents, and if you have ants on your deck, place garlic cloves between the planks. Finally, placing any of the following items in a small line in front of the point of entry will help deter the ants: cayenne pepper, citrus oil (soaked into a piece of string), lemon juice, cinnamon, or coffee grounds.

Cockroaches
From urban apartment complexes, to rural areas, to restaurants and grocery stores everywhere, cockroaches are famously prolific. The best natural cockroach deterrent is boric acid, found in drugstores and hardware stores in the form of a powder.

Mix boric acid with something the bugs like, such as honey or sugar and oil. Form small balls and place these in corners where the bugs will find them. They'll eat the substance, take it back to their nest, and poison themselves and their offspring.

Dust the boric acid along doorway thresholds, just outside the door, and under sink cabinets.

Also make a paste of boric acid and water, and place it inconspicuously around access points, such as drain pipes, door jams, or any other small opening between your residence and the outside or the neighbor's.

Aphids
Aphids are small bugs that feed on plant parts in your garden. There are several hundreds of species of aphids, distinguishable by their unique colors and patterns, however all are tiny (about the size of the head of a pin) and have a pair of tubular appendages on the tip of the stomach. Not all aphids are worth worrying about -- only the gold ones.

The first line of defense against aphids is spraying them off the plant with a strong burst of water. If they continue to appear, mix one-teaspoon dishwashing soap with a quart of water and spray it on the plants.